Winds of Change
by xxxShi.Ro
Summary: Takagi Wataru decides to take up the challenge of pursuing his feelings for a certain detective and all the changes that come with it, while Shinichi Kudo prepares to make some changes in his life as well, hoping that whatever good karma he has saved up will finally start to take effect. WataShin
1. Chapter 1

**All Things Happen As They Are Meant To**

Shinichi had noticed it a while now; he was drawn to the black haired, good natured simple keiji. At first he didn't realize, or maybe at that time it just wasn't there, but he could say for sure, these days, Takagi Wataru popped up in his mind most often. When he needed to interact with the police, who did he go to first? You guessed it, Takagi-keiji.

One could say it was simply because Takagi was one of the officers more willing to listen to him, one could say it was because the officer was open minded and kind and easy to deal with, one could say he had simply began to see the goofy detective as a good friend and comrade. Oh, one could say so many reasons why, and Shinichi did indeed say all these to himself in an attempt to rationalize it once upon a time. Now however, he knew, knew it was much more than these very logical reasons.

He could feel it, the most illogical reason , one that couldn't be categorized, quantified and analyzed so simply. He was ready to admit it.

He had fallen for Takagi Wataru.

He wasn't sure when or where it had started to happen, but it had happened, and looking back now, he couldn't picture how it couldn't have. The police detective was simple, humble, kind yet when he needed to be he was serious and sharp. His smile, it was adorable.

Shinichi loved to see that smile. It was because of this that he decided that he would never be able to act on his feelings for Takagi, he could keep them to himself, move on with life and watch Takagi – keiji smile that radiant smile forever. For surely, if he knew of Shinichi's affections, that smile would be gone. It would only spell trouble for the both of them. Takagi would be troubled by the meitantei's feeling, and Shinichi would feel crushed at being officially rejected. They couldn't work, and there were so many reasons why:

Takagi didn't like Shinichi that way [_hell, did he even really know him?_], he liked Sato-san.

Shinichi was a guy [_would that matter to Wata- I mean, Takagi-keiji?_]

Everyone said he was supposed to be with Ran, he had even thought so.

Shinichi shouldn't like anyone, it would just give the BO more targets.

Shinichi was currently 7 years old. [_Age difference indeed!_]

With this reasoning, Shinichi decided not to pursue his Takagi-keiji. He even encouraged him in his relationship with Sato-san, because this made Wataru happy.

He had to admit, he did feel a sense of triumph when Takagi and Sato didn't share that kiss on the stake-out. It had surprised him but he supposed it shouldn't have. It's not like he would ruin Wataru's chances in a moment of jealousy.

Now, standing here outside Takagi's hospital room, he could see Sato moving closer to Takagi, after hearing his complaints. He thought _"Good for you Wataru"_ as he turned his face. He really couldn't join the detective boys as they peered on eagerly, waiting for the happy ending to the fairytale they had been avidly following for almost a year now.

He was happy, he really was. So why couldn't he watch? Why was he feeling his chest tightening, and his airways constricting? Why did he feel like he wanted to run and keep running, to scream til his voice went hoarse and to cry til his tears went dry?

He heard a gasp from the detective boys. So the deed had been done. He guessed it was over, there were no hopes or dreams of getting between the two now, they were indisputably official. With that thought he realized that even though he hadn't known it, he had still been looking for that chance. That chance that was now gone.

_I guess this is life's way of saying to get a grip._

Shinichi fixed his childlike face into his usual smile and turned back to the other detective boys.

_All things happen as they are meant to._


	2. Chapter 2

**More Like A Phantom Thief**

Takagi had noticed it a while now. At first, he had thought the child was simply very smart and intuitive for his age. A prodigy even? But no, there was more beneath those calculating eyes. There was wisdom, there was experience, yet there was still youth and innocence.

Even though he didn't let on, he had known something was up; maybe not from the very beginning, but he worked it out. A meitantei he was not, but he didn't have to be to deduce that smiling boy with the glasses was indeed one.

Takagi had worked out much more than that, but simply never said anything. This was partly because he did not want to give away his newest little friend's secret and partly because his deduction made him question his own sanity; should he utter these words to anyone else, they'd have him sent for a psych evaluation faster than Conan could say "Satsujinjiken", and if you knew the little detective, that was pretty quick.

For a while, he had only had the mystery that was Edogawa Conan half worked out. He knew the little sleuth was the secret behind the Sleeping Kogoro. How many times had he seen the target pop up on Conan's wristwatch, a little blur whiz by, and seconds later and then the deduction show begin after Mouri-san tumbled into position? After getting that far, it didn't take much more to observe and notice the voice changing bowtie… and then there were the orders from 'Oji-san'. As if Mouri-san who chased Conan away from the crime scene would send the boy to set up the experiments, really. It had gotten to the point where Conan had dropped the "oji-san wants…" excuse when asking Takagi for help.

So was he a bright little boy with gadgets running the show? For a bit, Takagi was willing to accept that. Even after seeing the Conan mask slip, he was still willing to believe it. Were there not organization that would train children from a young age honing intelligence and skill, and crushing childhood? Not much was known of Conan's past after all. Yes Takagi had searched high and low for information on Edogawa Conan, but none was to be found. But he always sensed it was something more. He always thought, when Conan's mask dropped, what he saw wasn't a child denied a childhood or a child wise beyond his years; it was someone way past childhood. He had spent many a sleepless night convincing himself that there was no way the eight year old could be someone older; really, how did one de-age? It was impossible.

Impossible..? Really? Takagi began to wonder just how possible it was, and after weeks and months of such he had settled on a conclusion he was pretty set in. There was a part of him that feared that he really was losing his mind and a part that had an even more dreadful fear; was he convinced Conan was actually older because he wanted him to be? Takagi had noticed how drawn he was to the boy, he was on his mind so much more than Sato, and not just as a mystery his curiousity was dying to solve. He was aware that he enjoyed the little moments he could see the young detective at work, or that he could spend with him so much that it just made his day, and then kept him up at night as he wondered why.

He was pretty sure he was falling for Conan, and part of his mind screamed that he wanted the other boy to be older, so that he wouldn't be some kind of creeper. Takagi was seriously worried about himself at a point in time. He needed to know, was Conan older? He wished it was as easy as just asking so long as the younger didn't know why he was asking. If he knew, he'd know how to proceed. If he could ascertain the boy's age, if he could know for sure if the other was a child or not, he would know what to do with these feelings. For in the event that the other boy really was beyond his looks in age, well that would require some thought… but if it happened that the boy was indeed a child, Takagi would definitely lose [squash, if need be] these budding feelings of attraction and reaffirm those of role model , guide and protector. He was sure of it, because Takagi Wataru was most definitely not a pedophile and if Conan were a child he would feel for him and view him as he should a child… well, that's what he kept telling himself anyway after multiple mental meltdowns. That's why he kept vigilant, and it paid off.

Yes he had picked it up from subtle clues, and the not-so-subtle Osakan detective and the fact that when Edogawa Conan had gone to London there was no record of him having done so [he was curious as he had already determined the boy hadn't much proper records, so he abused a bit of his police power and checked] but there was record of one Kudo Shinichi on the flight. Moreover, Conan and Kudo were never really present at the same time, well except that time with the blimp incident but that was Kid, right? And the school play… no, there had to have been some trick. He was as sure that Conan was Kudo Shinichi as Saguru Hakuba was sure that the time was currently 16:34:35:54. He just didn't dare say it. He didn't know how it was so, he didn't know why it was so, but he was convinced that it was so. Furthermore for good measure and peace of mind he had managed to get Conan's prints and run them against Shinichi's to ease his few doubts; it was a match.

So Takagi Wataru knew the little sleuth's secret. Also, Takagi Wataru had become painfully aware that he had his own secret: he was attracted to Edogawa Conan.

There was so much wrong with that he couldn't even begin to list.

They were both male. [_He wasn't sure how much of a reason that was, it didn't really bother him, but would it bother Shinichi? Wait why was he even wondering about this, it didn't matter, it's not like anything would happen between him and Shinichi anyways._]

Shinichi Kudo and Mouri Ran were all but betrothed.

Mouri Ran would break him to pieces if he ever decided to attempt to court Shinichi.

Conan was currently in the body of an seven year old… he didn't know how that would work.

Shinichi would never admit the truth to him, and cornering the other boy about it would just make him keep his distance, so even if he wanted to, he couldn't make an advance without appearing like a total creeper.

He had a very caring and loving girlfriend.

Yes, he had a very caring and loving girlfriend. He cared about her as well, and for a time she had been all he could have ever wanted. However after spending time with Conan he began to realize his feelings were changing. He was developing attraction to Conan and at the same time, his feelings for Miwako were shifting from romantic to simply caring and affectionate. He had told himself he could be content with just being friends with Shinichi, that he could work through these feelings, and move past.

Hell he wasn't even sure if it was anything more than a crush at this point. He really shouldn't jeopardize his relationship with the girl of his dreams for something he was unsure of, and he would hate to make Miwako sad. Yes, he had a very good relationship and he was perfectly content with it.

So why? Why, despite wanting Miwako to kiss him, for their relationship to move forward, every time it was about to happen he would feel nervous in more than one way. There would be the "Oh my, it's happening" heart pounding, exciting nervousness, but it was overpowered by an insecure nervousness. One that _screamed "No no, think this through first, is this what you really want?"_ and when whatever obstacle that blocked his and Miwako's progress reared its head, why oh why would he feel that calming sense of relief at the back of his mind?

He had thought long and hard about it, and came to a decision. Maybe his crush was addling his thoughts a bit, but he had determined to try to move past that crush. He was still happy with Miwako, he could still see a future with her, so he would move forward. However if this continued, or if it ever came to the point where he thought he wasn't giving all he should and could to Miwako, he'd have to do something about it. She deserved someone who could give her everything… and he deserved to love guilt free, didn't he?

For now however, he was still able to love her wholeheartedly, even if it was different from the way it was at the very beginning, he supposed it was only the "just got together" phase wearing off. Those little doubts only happened once in a while, and once he cleared his head and focused on his relationship he would be able to give Miwako his all, even if his crush lingered more than he hoped it would. So long as there didn't come a day where he thought he didn't want to be with Miwako, it would be all good.

He looked up from his hospital bed and smiled at her. She was wonderful wasn't she? How could he ever not want her? They bantered a bit and she leaned in, promising himself he would get his long awaited kiss this time. There was no intrusion, no phone call, no bombing, no murder, no interruption of any sort. It was as if the universe was finally on their side.

Despite all the rationalizing and convincing Takagi had just done, he instinctively pulled away from the kiss as she got closer.

"Ouch, " he cried, as the sudden movement did nothing good for his recently sustained injuries.

He looked up at Sato apologetically.

"Gomen Miwako," he said sheepishly, quickly breaking eye contact.

She laughed.

"It's okay, sorry I startled you," she smiled looking a bit apologetic. Just then her phone rang. "It's Megure-keibu," she supplied, before she answered.

"You need to go?" he asked.

This time it was her eyes spelling out sorry, as she smiled guiltily.

"It's fine," he said warmly, kind smile in place, "Take care. See you later."

"Yep, rest up Takagi. I'll be back in a while," and with that she exited the room, leaving the police detective alone with his thoughts.

That kiss… he had begun to panic. Not have little insecure thoughts like before, but full-fledged panic. Thoughts of_ I shouldn't let her do this_ and _I don't want this._ Screams of _No_, _This would make us official, I can't let that happen, I like someone else, I can't do this to Miwako… I can't do this to me_. Images of both Conan and Shinichi's grinning faces appeared in his mind's eye. The single thought of wanting to save the kiss for Shinichi…

And then Takagi knew, maybe he had been fooling himself all along, he didn't want to take the risk, he didn't want to ruin something good he had, he didn't want to hurt Miwako and maybe get hurt himself, even though lying to both himself and her and having piece of his heart elsewhere would hurt them both in the end. Or maybe he _was_ able to move past it and dedicate himself to Miwako, _**was**_, but then before he did, he came to a place so far past that point it was no longer in sight.

It was no mystery, his feelings for Miwako had faded, fizzled out, were gone. He still cared deeply for her, but not as a boyfriend. Yes, he cared about her, but it was plain as day that no longer was he just falling for Shinich Kudo aka Edogawa Conan. He had fallen. Hard. And there was no return. A few months ago, if someone had told him he'd ever have eyes for anyone other than Miwako Sato he would've laughed, if someone had told him his heart could ever belong to someone else, he's offer to pay for them to be institutionalized.

But before he knew it, his heart was off chasing after a young detective. He had been captivated by the meitantei.

_Meitantei indeed_, Takagi scoffed, _More like phantom thief, after all he stole my heart so stealthily it took me a while before I even realized._ Takagi grinned to himself. Things were about to change and there were decisions to be made. He was ready to chase happiness even if it meant he might end up being devastated. He couldn't believe he was actually feeling a bit excited at the prospect. _Well, wasn't this new. _

There was a new Kaitou to be caught and First Division Police Detective Wataru Takagi was ready to see just how competent an officer he was.


	3. Chapter 3

**Satsujinjiken!**

For all his conviction back at the hospital, Wataru had no idea where to start to embark upon the new path he had decided.

Scratch that, he knew where to START. In fact he had already started. What he didn't know was how to proceed.

* * *

He had taken the first step and cut the ribbon tying his and Miwako's romantic lives together. He had been as honest with her as he felt he was comfortable being. He told her how, while she meant a lot to him, he realized that he no longer harbored the same feelings for her as he had thought he initially had. He apologized profusely, for wasting her time, for leading her on, for leaving her so suddenly, for making her sad. He braced himself for the slap, for the yelling… it never came.

He wasn't expecting her to beam happily and wish him well in his future, to chase his dreams because she would be happy as long as he did what made him happy. No, he wasn't deluded into thinking his life was a shoujo manga, and that things would go that way. But he also wasn't prepared for the silence, so thick a knife could cut it, the empty defeated look in her eyes, the single tear that slid down her check and she said, "I see…" and turned away, her pride alone stopping her from breaking into a run. She had looked so shattered.

He felt horrible. He had definitely done Miwako wrong. Part of him wanted to run after her as she drove off, to explain, to apologize more, to comfort her. But he didn't have that right, and doing so would change nothing, for his resolve was firm, his actions were for the best. It was his punishment for making her sad that he had to watch without being able to do a damn thing about it. But, Miwako was a strong girl, and Takagi knew she'd be fine, and hopefully, somehow, someday, they'd be fine too. Running after her would do no good, she would want her space.

* * *

Takagi walked nervously into the station the next day, unsure of where he stood with his partner. Would he have to face that shattered look, would his presence bring her grief, would she request a new partner? He didn't know what to expect.

Well, he didn't have to wait long… before he even left the car park to get into the building, he felt eyes burning holes in him. Stiffly he turned, to see a fuming Miwako storming his way, hell fire alight in her eyes. One punch later, he was sprawled on the floor, with a blossoming bruise over his left jaw. Miwako turned her face away from him, a slight glint of amusement in her eyes, and said "Now we're even, come on," as she stalked off inside, beckoning him forward.

Takagi couldn't help a small smile. He could deal with this… Miwako was being, well, Miwako. And he KNEW she could do a hell of a lot more damage than that punch if she wanted to, so for now he got off pretty easy.

Standing up he attempted to dust himself off, knowing there was nothing he could do to hide the bruise.

* * *

Taking his seat at his desk, Takagi sifted through some papers, watching Sato as she came from Megure-keibu's office, two cups of steaming coffee in her hands.

"We've got a case," was all she said, as she plopped one of the cups in front of him, a little more forcefully than necessary, but unable to hide the slight upward curve of her lips as he stared at it, as if daring it to explode.

"Takagi, it's not poisoned you know," she supplied, in a deadpan voice.

Tentatively, he picked it up, chuckling nervously, as he dared to ask, "Does this mean we're okay?"

A forlorn look crossed her face, and she replied, "More or less."

He supposed they could both live with that for now.

Taking a sip, he said, "So what's the case about?"

* * *

Miwako was surprised.

Miwako was hurt.

Miwako was angry.

She just wanted to cry till her tears ran dry, to scream at the top of her lungs, to punch something.

Then there was the part of her that just wanted to curl up and do nothing. To just lay there, wondering if life even mattered. To dare to wish it was a dream.

That night Takagi broke up with her, she did a bit of all those things.

She really did not sense that coming… that Takagi-kun, whom she had steadily fallen for, whom she had been sure was head over heels for her, would want to end things before they started. Was there something that was keeping him from being with her, some reason he thought their relationship was a bad idea, so he decided to break it off despite his feelings?

No. She had been practically suffocated by his sincerity when he said he didn't feel the same anymore, when he apologized, when the pain of hurting her enveloped him.

She wanted to hate him so much right now, so she did.

But after she calmed down, she thought about it. She really couldn't blame Wataru for feeling how he felt, could she. It's not as if he could control that. Sure she hated it, sure it made her insides twist in agony when she thought about it but she realized she didn't hate HIM. And that was what was important.

So she decided that even though she would be hurt and angry and sad for some time to come, she would not lose her partner – _her friend_ – over this. They meant too much to each other, romantic feelings or not.

It was with this conviction she enthusiastically greeted Wataru in the car park the next day, bestowing upon him a little farewell gift [hey she had to get rid of a little of her frustration somehow] after which she tried to go back to their normal routine, even if she did let some of her anger seep through in her actions, like when she all but smashed his coffee cup into his desk. She didn't feel the need to hide her emotions from Wataru, and she knew he'd understand that it was more the situation she was angry at and not so much him…

She knew he'd understand that time would heal all wounds to the best of its ability, and that yes, he was still the person she wanted to catch criminals with. Verbally, she assured him of this, with a soft "More or less," when asked if they were okay. They were meagre words, but she knew every bit of emotion behind them was conveyed to the black haired man she spent so much of her time with.

He knew she was hurt, he knew she was sad. He knew she'd be thinking about it, about _why_. He knew she'd probably have outbursts, he knew her mischievous and slightly vindictive side might try to get childish revenge with pranks and such. He knew he would feel guilty sometimes, but he knew they would both heal, and they would both always be there for each other.

And she understood that he got her meaning and felt much the same when he continued their conversation with, "What's the case today?"

And so they moved forward.

Walking out the door, she thought maybe she could go a little easy on him when it came to revenge. He was sporting a nice bruise, but that wasn't nearly what made her feel slight pity. It was the eyes of their fellow officers burning holes into Takagi's skull as he walked out the door chatting with her. Just wait till their colleagues found out he dumped her… there would be hell for the cute little Keiji to pay. She cackled a bit in her mind, while feeling a bit bad on his behalf at the same time, maybe she really _did_ have a vindictive side.

* * *

Conan was walking down the street with the detective boys, his guardian and her best friend when they spotted the police officer duo, heading toward a yard. Sato and Takagi were walking up the path to a western styled house, with neatly trimmed lawn and hedges, Takagi's hand already fishing his black notebook out of his pocket. The officer in question was sporting an impressive bruise along his left jawbone.

"What's wrong with Takagi-keiji's face?" Ayumi-chan asked innocently.

Genta snickered, "Maybe Sato-keiji slugged him one for pulling away from her kiss in the hospital."

Conan's eyes grew as wide and round as saucers.

"What?!"

That was his voice mixed with Sonoko's. Great, thinking about Takagi apparently made him into to a drama queen on the level of _the_ drama queen herself. Sigh.

"Oi oi, what are you guys talking about?" he asked, while Sonoko was begging for details.

"In the hospital the other day, remember Conan-kun?" Mitsuhiko supplied, "When Sato-keiji tried to kiss Takagi-keiji and he pulled away. Then she had to leave."

Conan's mind was whirring with this information. He hadn't seen it himself as he looked away, thinking his heart would probably shatter into a thousand tiny pieces that would never fit back together again if he witnessed the event. Was this really true? Why would Wataru let the moment he had waited for so long go to waste, it made no sense.

While Shinichi tried to solve the first riddle in so long that stumped him, he could hear Sonoko going on about how a scoundrel who refused a maiden's kiss in such a manner deserved more than just a slugging. After which she proceeded to compare Takagi's 'wrongdoings' with Shinichi's, citing that it was just as bad as Ran's _husband_ leaving her to her own for so long without so much as a word, a promise, a kiss. _As if he took her love for granted._

Ran didn't even bother to blush these days anymore. She looked torn between being amused and being weary and annoyed.

"Sonoko…" she warned.

The blond girl simmered down as they passed by the house the officers had just entered.

Curious as ever, the not-quite-seven-year-old peered inside, hearing Takagi state, "No Sato-san, I'm afraid this wasn't an accident. It was a murder!"

There were collective gasps from inside the house and Conan dashed in.


End file.
